John 6:4

4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

John 6:4 in Other Translations

4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)

4 It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.

4 Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near.

John 6:4 Meaning and Commentary

John 6:4

And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
] This was the third passover, since our Lord's baptism, and entrance on his public ministry; see ( John 2:13 ) ( 5:1 ) . Whether Christ went up to this feast is not certain; some think he did not; but from what is said in ( John 7:1 ) , it looks as if he did: how nigh it was to the feast, cannot well be said. Thirty days before the feast, they began to talk about it; and especially in the last fifteen days, they made preparations for it, as being at hand ^F2; and if there was now so long time to it, there was time enough for Jesus to go to it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 T. Bab. Pesach. fol. 6. 1. Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Shekalim, c. 3. sect. 1.

John 6:4 In-Context

2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.

3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.

4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Cross References

• 1. S John 2:13; John 11:55